NHS behind diabetes prevention week

NHS behind diabetes prevention week

The NHS in England is pulling together to raise awareness of diabetes prevention during Diabetes Prevention Week with events and opportunities for the public to find out if they are at risk.

Five million people in England are currently at high risk of developing type-two diabetes and this week (April 16 - 22) is Diabetes Prevention Week.

Type-two diabetes is the leading cause of preventable sight loss in people of working age and is a major contributor to kidney failure, heart attack and stroke.

Treating diabetes accounts for almost nine per cent of the annual NHS budget, but the good news is that type-two diabetes is also preventable, even for those at high risk.

During Diabetes Prevention Week NHS organisations across the country are highlighting the free support that’s available to those at risk of developing the condition through the Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP).

For the first time this ground-breaking programme is available across the whole of England. The programme gives people access to free personalised education which empowers them to eat more healthily, become more active and therefore reduce their risk of developing type-two diabetes.

We have patients whose lives have been transformed. Results so far show that those who have been through the programme have lost an average of 3.3kgs – the weight of 15 double cheese burgers. Those that were overweight when they started the programme lost an average of 3.7kg.

GP practices around the region are getting involved and some counties are holding roadshows.

The @NHS twitter account will be curated by a diabetes patient. Follow them from your account for an insight into life with diabetes.

Follow @NHSEnglandMidE to see what’s happening across the East Midlands, West Midlands and East of England.

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